Parker: Wellspring Alberta welcomes Joanne Aime as new CEO

Joanne Aime has served in leadership positions for more than 20 years providing an impressive resume, but none of those positions were met with the kind of enthusiasm and compassionate mindset she brings to her new role as the CEO of Wellspring Alberta.

“I am truly honoured to join Wellspring,” says Aime. “The organization’s dedication to supporting Albertans living with cancer and their caregivers is inspiring, and I am excited to work alongside such a passionate team of staff, volunteers and community partners.”

Aime hails from Ontario and attended McMaster University where she graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce — the top student in a class of 354, valedictorian, two gold medals and several additional academic scholarships/honours.

Her achievements were recognized by Nortel Networks who invited her to join its Leadership Development Program giving her the opportunity to work around Canada — including Calgary — and the U.S. before being relocated to the UK as director, recruitment for the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Pending the birth of her daughter, Aime and her husband moved back to Toronto in 2001 and eventually took the package and moved to Calgary joining Telus Enterprise Solutions, which brought her into contact with the Calgary Health Region.

Following her leadership in a provincewide initiative to transform the delivery of health care to patients and their families, she ‘flirted’ with the energy sector but in 2008 Aime was called back and assumed the role of project director with the South Health Campus Build.

Job done, Aime became senior project director for AHS in a key leadership role in the design/build of the $1.57 billion Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

After that five-year period, and after substantial completion of the centre Aime “got to know her family again” before joining Immigrant Services Calgary as COO.

Aime says the position was very rewarding as her immigrant parents, who moved to Canada from The Netherlands, instilled upon their children the need to be involved, compassionate and to give back to others in their new country.

Her operational experiences in executing goals and priorities, along with people management and her involvement in health care, made it easy for the Wellspring board to welcome Aime as their new CEO.

Board chair Bill Gilliland says, “We feel certain Joanne will provide Wellspring Alberta with incredibly strong leadership, allowing us to continue to flourish and advance our vision to ensure no one has to face cancer alone.”

Wellspring Alberta has two homes in Calgary and one in Edmonton offering free programs for cancer patients and their families to provide connection and belonging.

The need for cancer care is increasing as the prevalence of cancer continues to grow. There are an estimated 140,000 people in Alberta that have or have recently been diagnosed with cancer.

In 2024, Wellspring served approximately 3,100 individuals in over 160 communities.

A registered charity comprised of 27 staff, 100 contracted program leaders and around 300 volunteers, Wellspring is funded by the generosity of its communities; funding sources include major gifts, annual giving, signature fundraising events, legacy giving and government grants.

Recently the Government of Alberta signed a funding agreement to provide $1.5 million over 15 months to enable Wellspring to expand and sustain programs, particularly in rural and remote communities, ensuring equitable access to care.

Benefits from its 70 different free programs are also now available to rural areas through its extensive online services ensuring no one should feel isolated; providing connection and belonging, ease pain, fatigue and distress.

Aime has accepted a vital and challenging role that she has willingly and proudly accepted. She says, “Have we got a job to do.”

Notes

In a sense of unity between our Canadian provinces, space is gladly given to mention a historic $65-million expansion to the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, PEI.

CEO Steve Bellamy says the expansion of the national cultural centre will create new facilities and programs focused on strengthening Canadian Confederation and combating provincialism/regionalism.

Calgary is certainly home to a good number of Maritimers, and many from the island of Anne of Green Gables who might want to show support — first to ante-up was Lou MacEachern, a long-time board member of the centre.

David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.